The unofficial musings of the gardeners of Worcester College. This site does not necessarily represent the views of Worcester College and its members.

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Aerating With The 'Wiedenmann Terra Spike'

The 'Wiedenmann Terra Spike' has only ever been used to aerate the sports field but yesterday was used for the first time in the gardens, aerating the Provost's lawn. Prior to using this large tractor mounted Wiedenmann the aerating of the lawns in the garden had been done using the walk behind 'Groundsman Turf Aerator', see blog entry 8th October 2009 'Aeration'.

Hooked up to the John Deer tractor and set to a spiking depth of 4 inches, the Wiedenmann made quick and efficient work of aerating the lawn. Deep spiking and aeration is an essential requirement for healthy root
growth, decompacting the ground and allowing the roots of the grass to penetrate deeper into
the soil to make better use of water and nutrients that lie within. The tractor mounted aerator should become a regular sight in the gardens following this successful introduction.